Auld Lang Syne – Justin Coutts
One of my favorite memories of this song comes from my first assignment with the Air Force in England. A group of us went to a 300 year old Thatched Roof Pub for a New Year’s Eve Dinner. It had been a difficult year in the life of our little base community and we were in a reflective mood. In the custom of the country we had the table for the entire evening. The food and conversation were wonderful. As the stroke of midnight approaches, we were invited into the kitchen where we joined the staff and listened to the tolling of Big Ben. As the last strike of midnight, we all joined hands and sang Auld Lang Syne.
This blog that a friend shared gives some background on the song many will sing tonight.
Every year, on New Year’s Eve, people all around the world sing a few lines in Scots which most people don’t understand. Those lines are:
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought tae mind. Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and the days of auld lang syne.”